Nuclear technology has progressed with the development of new technologies, but also thanks to a strong emphasis on politics playing a role in a more efficient and safe way to use this source of energy. After the Fukushima disaster in 2011, the United States was urged to push for a smaller, scaled-down nuclear reactor, called a small modular reactor, or SMR. Small modular reactors offer a number of advantages over a traditional nuclear reactor by being economically cheaper and safer. As a smaller nuclear reactor, this could come as a shock due to the need to build more reactors to produce the same amount of energy as current nuclear reactors. “The average American nuclear reactor has an operating capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more; SMRs, in contrast, have a generating capacity of less than 300 megawatts” (Foran, 2013). In theory, three small modular reactors would be needed to replace one of the current nuclear reactors already installed. However, the economic impact that these reactors entail is substantial. Because of their small size, small modular reactors can be built in factories where the parts and structure can be produced on a more efficient and rapid scale. Utilities interested in exploiting the benefits of nuclear technology could invest, as less capital would need to be raised. The factories that would build these parts would also provide new jobs, as more countries want to adapt to small modular reactors without building the infrastructure. At the factory the parts would be “cookie cut,” meaning they could be produced on an assembly line and have the entire reactor completed by the end, ready for shipping. Sure... middle of paper... it also saves costs in trying to locate some of them. Works Cited Energy for the World: Why Uranium?. (2012, December 1). world-nuclear.org. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Nuclear-Fuel-Cycle/Introduction/Energy-for-the-World--- Why-Uranium-/Foran, Clare. “Small reactors could be the future of nuclear energy.” Nationaljournal.com. National Journal Group Inc, October 1, 2013. Web. March 17, 2014. "Is Thorium the Future of Nuclear Power?" News on the discovery. Discovery Communications, October 7, 2011. Web. March 18, 2014. Small reactor designs. (n.d.). Nuclear Energy Institute. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.nei.org/Issues-Policy/New-Nuclear-Energy-Facilities/Small-Reactor-DesignsUranium. (January 21, 2014). Uranium Investment News. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://uraniuminvestingnews.com/17236/thorium-an-alternative-for-Unuclear-energy.html